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Where the vice presidential prospects stand on energy

In choosing his vice president, Romney may look for backup with conservative voters. | AP Photos

Rob Portman

From his perch on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the freshman Ohio senator introduced legislation last year with Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) and Reps. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) that would require the federal government to closely examine the costs of major regulations. The bill, which would have affected key EPA regulations, passed the House but has not moved in the Senate.

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Meanwhile, Portman has shown that he can work with Democrats, co-sponsoring energy efficiency legislation with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) that has won the praise of greens and industry groups alike. But that bill has also stalled in the Senate.

Advantages: Portman could point to specific legislation meant to address Republicans’ concerns about Obama’s energy policies. He also hails from Ohio, a state rich in natural gas, coal and renewable energy — not to mention a presidential swing state.

Disadvantages: While he has been a consistent critic of Obama’s policies, Portman has kept a relatively low profile on energy issues, rarely giving fiery speeches that rally conservatives. That reflects the broader issue critics have raised about Portman as a VP pick — that he’s boring and safe. Of course, that’s also considered one of his main selling points.

Upshot: Portman’s record would offer few distractions from Romney’s message.

Bobby Jindal

The Louisiana governor has been a vocal critic of the Obama administration's energy policies and one of the most outspoken advocates of expanded offshore drilling.

Jindal honed his criticisms during the 2010 oil spill. The governor slammed the federal response to the spill and wrote a book portraying Obama as disconnected from the crisis and largely concerned only about the political aftermath.

He also slammed the federal post-spill drilling moratorium, has joined other Republicans in denouncing EPA regulations, blamed Obama earlier this year for rising gasoline prices and accused the president of placing jobs and the economy behind “zealous adherence to left-wing environmental theory.”

Advantages: Jindal’s energy policies mirror those of Romney and the mainstream of the GOP. He supports new drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, in Alaska and along the lower half of the Atlantic Coast. He has also called for the approval of the Keystone pipeline and blasted a slew of EPA regulations.

Disadvantages: Jindal is an easy target for Democrats, who have painted the governor as a shill of the oil industry. They argue that Jindal’s support for expanded drilling shows that he hasn’t learned the lessons of the BP spill.

Readers' Comments (5)

First, let's get rid of those pictured above that are not going to picked by Romney. Christie is too rude, uncontrollable and attention-seeking for Romney. He's out. Rubio would only be picked if Romney is desperate, another Palinesque Hail Mary pass, for Rubio is a brighter male version of Palin. He's so green, he carries (as does Romney) Foreign Policy for Dummies in his back pocket and still needs a map to find where his subcommittees meet. Like Palin, he has monetary ethical issues and is more interested in self-promotion than becoming well-versed on the issues, which is why he somehow found time in the first two years as senator to write a self-promoting book. The women are out and were only floated as possibilities so Democrats won't accuse them of being a sexist all-male club. Bush is out because he was never considered. Jindal is out for racial reasons.

Who is left? McDonnell, Portman, Pawlenty and Ryan. Pawlenty is most like Romney on energy. A flip-flopper, sure, but Republicans that have turned Republicanism into a religion believe in religious conversions (see Reagan) and would embrace that ticket as long as they continue to strongly pander toward the right on energy issues. Romney likes like-minded people. Portman looks like a logical choice as well. Low-keyed to the point of somnolence, he has real legislative accomplishments on energy under his belt. He also works successfully with Democrats, which Romney likes (though it won't thrill Republican firebrands. Romney, like Portman, likes to accomplish things, not just bang ideological drums. McDonnell, the ******-prober? Nah. Ryan of the Ryan budget? Nah.

Pawlenty's embrace and then rejection of leftie energy policy is classic Pawlenty: Governing by polling. As MN governor, he was a complete lightweight, blowing around in the political winds. Picking him would be a sign of weakness on the part of Romney. There are better choices.

It is hard to feel sympathy for the farmers in the midwest dealing with drought or the people of Texas with their wild fires. These are the same voters who are enabling the great polluters and opposing moving our country to green energy.

All of these Republicans have sold out this generation and future generations for their own political gain.